2010 Pan American Championships - Monroy closes the deal

Ricardo Monroy became the 1st Bolivian to capture the men's singles title at the Pan American Championships Saturday as he defeated Polo Gutierrez (Mexico) in the final, 15-11, 15-7, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, at the 23rd Pan American Championships. In fact, Monroy is the first Bolivian to reach the final.

It was a magical tournament for Monroy, as he defeated 4th seed Vincent Gagnon, 1st seed Gil De Los Rios and then 2nd seed Gutierrez en route to the title. Moreover, those three victories were each in two straight games.

For Gutierrez, he seems destined to be a Pan Am bridesmaid but not the Pan Am bride as he was runner up for the third year in a row. Mexican Alvaro Beltran defeated Gutierrez in each of last two years. Beltran missed this tournament as he's still recovering from a knee injury that has prevented him from playing at all this season.

On the women's side, Paola Longoria of Mexico won women's singles by defeating Jennifer Saunders of Canada in Saturday's final, 15-10, 15-11. It's Longoria's third Pan Am title, as she previously won it in 2008 and 2006. For Saunders, it's her first international final in singles since the 2002 World Championships, which she lost to American Cheryl Gudinas.

Mexico also beat Canada in women's doubles, as Samantha Salas Solis and Susana Acosta-Mendoza defeated Frédérique Lambert and Geneviève Brodeur, 15-11, 15-4.

But the Canadians won gold in men's doubles, as Mike Green and Tim Landeryou defeated the Mexican team of Ruben Estrada and Alejandro Landa, 15-9, 12-15, 11-9. It's Landeryou's first gold medal for Canada in his first international appearance on Team Canada, and Green's second gold at the Pan Am Championships. Green won singles at the 1999 Pan Ams.

Overall, it's the third time Canada has won gold at this event in men's doubles. Vincent Gagnon and Francois Viens won it in 2006, and Mike Ceresia and Roger Harripersad were gold medalists back in 1992 when this event was called the Tournament of the Americas.

XXIII Pan American Racquetball Championship
San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Women's Singles Final

Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Jennifer Saunders (Canada), 15-10, 15-11

Men's Single Final

Ricardo Monroy (Bolivia) d. Leopoldo Gutierrez (Mexico), 15-11, 15-7

Men's Doubles Final

Mike Green & Tim Landeryou (Canada) d. Ruben Estrada & Alejandro Landa (Mexico), 15-9, 12-15, 11-9

Women's Doubles Final

Samantha Salas Solis & Susana Acosta-Mendoza (Mexico) d. Frédérique Lambert & Geneviève Brodeur (Canada), 15-11, 15-4

Follow the bouncing ball....

2010 Pan American Championships - Monroy surprise finalist

Bolivian Ricardo Monroy upset top seed Gil De Los Rios of Mexico in the semi-finals in San Pedro Sula, Honduras at the 23rd Pan American Championships. He'll face 2nd seed Polo Gutierrez of Mexico in the final, who defeated Canadian Kris Odegard, 15-3, 15-5 in the other semi-final on Friday.

In women's singles, #1 seed Paola Longoria ended the return of Claudine Garcia (Dominican Republic) with a decisive win, 15-1, 15-9. That sets up a gold medal show down with the #2 seed Jennifer Saunders of Canada who beat Longoria's team mate Nancy Enriquez (Mexico), 15-12, 15-11.

In doubles, the stage is set for two Mexican-Canadian playoffs. On the women's side, the #1 seeded Mexicans Samantha Salas Solis and Susana Acosta-Mendoza got a default victory over Columbians Carolina Gomez and Cristina Amaya (Columbia) and the 2nd seeded Canadians Frédérique Lambert and Geneviève Brodeur defeated Claudine Garcia and Yira Portes of the Dominican Republic, 15-2, 15-4.

In men's play, Mexicans Ruben Estrada and Alejandro Landa squeaked out the first game of their match with Bolivians Ricardo Monroy and Carlos Keller Vargas, and then took a 6-0 lead in the second game and carried through to win the match, 15-14, 15-7.

Canadians Mike Green and Tim Landeryou needed a tie-breaker to beat the Columbian team of Andres Herrera and Francisco Gomez of Columbia, 15-5, 14-15, 11-1. The Canadians served everything to Gomez, who was playing the right side. Early they were serving lobs, but in the tie-breaker they switched to hitting drive z serves.

XXIII Pan American Racquetball Championship
San Pedro Sula, Honduras

MEN'S SINGLES

Semi Finals

Ricardo Monroy (Bolivia) d. Gilberto De Los Rios (Mexico), 15-10, 15-8
Leopoldo Gutierrez (Mexico) d. Kris Odegard (Canada), 15-3, 15-5

Final

Leopoldo Gutierrez (Mexico) vs. Ricardo Monroy (Bolivia)

WOMEN'S SINGLES

Semi finals

Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Claudine Garcia (Dom. Rep.), 15-1, 15-9
Jennifer Saunders (Canada) d. Nancy Enriquez (Mexico), 15-12, 15-11

Final

Paola Longoria (Mexico) vs. Jennifer Saunders (Canada)

MEN'S DOUBLES

Semi-finals

Ruben Estrada & Alejandro Landa (Mexico) d. Ricardo Monroy & Carlos Keller Vargas (Bolivia), 15-14, 15-7
Mike Green & Tim Landeryou (Canada) d. Andres Herrera & Francisco Gomez (Columbia), 15-5, 14-15, 11-1

WOMEN'S DOUBLES

Semi-finals

Samantha Salas Solis & Susana Acosta-Mendoza (Mexico) d. Carolina Gomez & Cristina Amaya (Columbia), forfeit
Frédérique Lambert & Geneviève Brodeur (Canada) d. Claudine Garcia & Yira Portes (Dom. Rep.), 15-2, 15-4

Final

Samantha Salas Solis & Susana Acosta-Mendoza (Mexico) vs. Frédérique Lambert & Geneviève Brodeur (Canada)

Follow the bouncing ball....

2010 Pan American Championships - Thursday round up

Thursday was not a good day for 4th seeded Canadians, as both Vincent Gagnon and Brandi Jacobson Prentice lost their quarter final matches at the 23rd Pan American Championship in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Ricardo Monroy of Bolivia defeated Gagnon, 15-10, 15-7, while veteran Claudine Garcia of the Dominican Republic took out Jacobson Prentice, 5-15, 15-12, 11-10.

The top seeds - Mexicans Paola Longoria and Gil De Los Rios - advanced to the semi-finals by winning their matches in two straight games. Longoria defeated Cristina Cordova of Ecuador, 15-3, 15-3, while De Los Rios beat Fernando Rios of Ecuador, 15-10, 15-7.

It was a doubly good day for Garcia, who also won in women's doubles with her partner Yira Portes as the Dominican Republicans defeated Cristina Cordova and Maria Paz Munoz (Ecuador), 15-12, 15-6, in the quarter finals. Next up for them will be the Canadian team of Frédérique Lambert and Geneviève Brodeur, and the Canadians defeated the Guatemalan team of Lucy Zachrisson and Marie Gomar, 15-4, 15-10.

XXIII Pan American Racquetball Championship
San Pedro Sula, Honduras

MEN'S SINGLES

Quarter Finals

Gilberto De Los Rios (Mexico) d. Fernando Rios (Ecuador), 15-10, 15-7
Ricardo Monroy (Bolivia) d. Vincent Gagnon (Canada), 15-10, 15-7

Leopoldo Gutierrez (Mexico) d. Cesar Castro (Venezuela), 15-5, 15-2
Kris Odegard (Canada) d. Ivan Villegas (Costa Rica), 15-6, 9-15, 11-7

Semi Finals

Gilberto De Los Rios (Mexico) vs. Ricardo Monroy (Bolivia)
Leopoldo Gutierrez (Mexico) vs. Kris Odegard (Canada)

WOMEN'S SINGLES

Quarter finals

Paola Longoria (Mexico) d. Cristina Cordova (Ecuador), 15-3, 15-3
Claudine Garcia (Dom. Rep.) d. Brandi Jacobson Prentice (Canada), 5-15, 15-12, 11-10

Nancy Enriquez (Mexico) d. Jenny Daza Navia (Bolivia), 15-14, 9-15, 11-3
Jen Saunders (Canada) d. Maria Paz Munoz (Ecuador), 15-13, 15-12

Semi finals

Paola Longoria (Mexico) vs. Claudine Garcia (Dom. Rep.)
Jen Saunders (Canada) vs. Nancy Enriquez (Mexico)

MEN'S DOUBLES

Quarter Finals

Ruben Estrada & Alejandro Landa (Mexico) d. Ignacio Sabate & Juan S Cageao (Costa Rica), 15-8, 15-3
Ricardo Monroy & Carlos Keller Vargas (Bolivia) d. Danny Maggi & Shai Manzuri (Argentina), 15-8, 5-15, 11-5

Andres Herrera & Francisco Gomez (Columbia) d. Curtis Winter & Ward Myers (Puerto Rico), 15-2, 15-10
Mike Green & Tim Landeryou (Canada) d. Luis Perez & Leonel Simo (Dom. Rep.), 15-2, 15-11

Semi-finals

Ruben Estrada & Alejandro Landa (Mexico) vs. Ricardo Monroy & Carlos Keller Vargas (Bolivia)
Mike Green & Tim Landeryou (Canada) vs. Andres Herrera & Francisco Gomez (Columbia)

WOMEN'S DOUBLES

Quarter Finals

Samantha Salas Solis & Susana Acosta-Mendoza (Mexico) d. Ana Fortin & Pamela Sierra (Honduras), 15-1, 15-2
Carolina Gomez & Cristina Amaya (Columbia) d. Marianna Tobon & Islhey Mariana Paredes (Venezuela), 15-10, 9-15, 11-6

Claudine Garcia & Yira Portes (Dom. Rep.) d. Cristina Cordova & Maria Paz Munoz (Ecuador), 15-12, 15-6
Frédérique Lambert & Geneviève Brodeur (Canada) vs. Lucy Zachrisson & Marie Gomar (Guatemala), 15-4, 15-10

Semi-finals

Samantha Salas Solis & Susana Acosta-Mendoza (Mexico) vs. Carolina Gomez & Cristina Amaya (Columbia)
Claudine Garcia & Yira Portes (Dom. Rep.) vs. Frédérique Lambert & Geneviève Brodeur (Canada)

Follow the bouncing ball....